Start with the rule behind server eligibility

Treat server eligibility as a short list of facts to confirm, not a single yes-or-no impression. Whether a party may serve goes on the first line; the minimum age for the server goes on the next, each with its own source noted.

Since the case record has not been created yet, correcting a wrong assumption here is straightforward. Use it to close out whether a sheriff, professional server, friend, or other adult may serve before that assumption can travel into a filing or a service step.

Head the checklist with whether a party may serve, and record the minimum age for the server underneath it with a citation to where each answer came from.

Build a five-point worksheet for this step

Add whether a sheriff, professional server, friend, or other adult may serve, whether the clerk offers any mail-service option, and how the server completes proof of service to the same worksheet. Each tied to a specific document or official source rather than a guess.

One dated line per fact is enough, as long as it is sourced. Cite the source for whether the clerk offers any mail-service option, and connect how the server completes proof of service to its supporting record.

Documents that support this question

Organize the file around the source documents first; and note whether a party may serve and how the server completes proof of service as two separate, independently-checkable entries.

Use the scenario to check whether the file is organized in a checkable way. After the facts are confirmed, attach whether a sheriff, professional server, friend, or other adult may serve to its source document and the applicable official guidance.

The example ties together the minimum age for the server and whether the clerk offers any mail-service option. Note how each affects the outcome separately, since the scenario is meant to organize the facts, not replace the governing local rule.

Where local procedure changes server eligibility

The recurring error on server eligibility is assuming a procedure from a different state carries over. Confirm the controlling local instruction before moving forward.

Official sources to verify this step

Worth flagging up front: Server eligibility is jurisdiction-specific; do not copy California’s rule into another state without checking. What follows are procedural examples rather than a national rule for server eligibility. Cross-check this against the handling court's own published instructions.

Close this point loop

Close server eligibility with a two-line summary: confirmed facts on one line, open questions on the other. Revisit it before proceeding.